Posts Tagged ‘nate ballard’

I was thinking that our local Santa Clara Super Bowl 2016 people would be giving like $500 a piece to local, corrupted, politically-connected non-profits like the Tenderloin Housing Clinic / BeyondChron, but no, the grants are $500,000 a piece and they seem to be going to legitimate charities.

Wow.

Of course I could tell you what I don’t like about the Santa Clara Super Bowl (like its associated contracts, with terms I don’t know but can only guess at. until the deets get released, only after the game is over) but let’s save that for ‘nother day.

(This is a different deal entirely than the failed 2024 Olympics attempt and the failed America’s Cup attempts.)

All the deets:

“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Nathan Ballard
PJ Johnston50 FUND ANNOUNCES GAME CHANGER GRANT RECIPIENTS HOST COMMITTEE’S LEGACY FUND KICKS OFF WITH FIRST $2.5 MILLION
As part of the celebration of 50 Weeks to Super Bowl 50, the 50 Fund announced the Bay Area non-profit recipients of their “Game Changer” grants today.

Game Changers is one of the programs of the 50 Fund, the philanthropic arm of the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee.

From a pool of nearly 150 nonprofits that serve every corner of the Bay Area, the 50 Fund selected five organizations that will receive this first round of funding, the “Game Changer” grants. Each non-profit will receive a grant for $500,000 to help support its work in closing the opportunity gap that exists for Bay Area children, youth and young adults living in low-income communities.

“This selection process has reinforced why we are so focused on ensuring that Super Bowl 50 is the most giving Super Bowl yet. There is so much good work being done here in the Bay Area, and through Super Bowl 50, we can shine a real light on these organizations,” said Kamba Tshionyi, chairman of the 50 Fund. “It was a tough decision for our Board to get down to our final grantees for this round; the quality of these applications and the caliber of all of these nonprofits were just outstanding,”

Together, the five Game Changer grantees will expand programs the reach of these Bay Area nonprofits, serve more than 1,000 low-income youth in the next 12 months, and provide solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing young people in the region: homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, and lack of equitable access to healthcare and educational opportunities. Grant recipients include:

First Place for Youth
Currently serving Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco and Solano Counties, First Place will use its 50 Fund Game Changer grant to replicate its highly effective program model in Santa Clara County, providing permanent housing and wrap-around support, including education and employment, to young people aged 18-24 transitioning out of foster care, who would otherwise be living on the street and struggling to survive.

Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY)
FLY will use its Game Changer grant to expand its current services in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties to another Bay Area county, providing a robust set of evidence-informed interventions proven to help youth offenders aged 15-18 change the trajectory of their lives – reducing recidivism, increasing public safety and helping participants build essential life skills to maximize their potential.

Juma Ventures
Expanding its San Francisco Bay Area footprint and building on its success at Levi’s® Stadium in Santa Clara this past year, Juma Ventures will use its Game Changer grant to launch new concession and vending enterprises at Spartan Stadium, Moscone Center and Avaya Stadium, providing employment, financial skills and academic support to low-income youth aged 16-18, who will be the first in their families to attend college.

La Clinica de la Raza
Through its Game Changer grant, La Clinica will double its school-based health care (SBHC) services in Alameda County, expanding trauma-focused services, increasing screening for youth in high-risk schools, and creating a sustainable training model for clinicians and support teachers in trauma-sensitive school communities. La Clinica also serves Contra Costa and Solano counties.

Summer Search
Summer Search will use its Game Changer grant toward doubling the number of low-income students served through their Bay Area programs, helping to produce socially responsible college graduates who have transformed what they believe is possible for themselves through a program that integrate year-round professional mentorship, summer experiential learning, individualized college access and financial aid counseling, as well as a consistent network of support in college and beyond. Summer Search serves Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma Counties.

“We wanted to kick off our countdown to Super Bowl 50 with a focus on how we will give back to our communities,” said Super Bowl 50 Host Committee Chairman Daniel Lurie. “We are committed to creating a lasting legacy of community impact by hosting this milestone event, and we’re excited to be making our first grants today, 50 weeks from Super Bowl 50.”

One quarter of all the dollars raised by the Host Committee will go to support local organizations and initiatives through 50 Fund, focusing on organizations with innovative approaches to creating lasting solutions to local challenges. The 50 Fund will offer two more rounds of Game Changer grants, with the next application period opening this summer.

The NFL Foundation has made a $1 million grant to 50 Fund as part of its annual Super Bowl Legacy Grant Program. This is the largest contribution to 50 Fund to date and matches local private and public donations that have been made or pledged as part of the Host Committee’s commitment to contribute 25% of all the funds it raises back to community nonprofits.
About 50 Fund
50 Fund is the signature philanthropic initiative of the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee. Its goal is to help close the opportunity gap that exists for Bay Area children, youth and young adults living in low-income communities. Through its grantmaking programs, 50 Fund will support organizations and initiatives making a difference, tackling big issues and scaling their impact. For more information, visit www.50fund.org

About the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee
Working in partnership with Bay Area public officials and the NFL, the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl Host Committee is responsible for Super Bowl 50 and its celebration elements, including the Super Bowl Village, public exhibits and planning of game day logistics. The Host Committee will donate 25% of every dollar raised to Bay Area community initiatives and high-performing nonprofits through 50 Fund. To be hosted in the state-of-the-art Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara in 2016, Super Bowl 50 will be celebrated through a series of events that showcase all the Bay Area has to offer. For more information, visit www.sfbaysuperbowl.com.

Follow the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee:
Online at www.sfbaysuperbowl.com or www.50fund.org
Facebook at www.facebook.com/superbowl50 or www.facebook.com/the50fund
Twitter at www.twitter.com/superbowl50 or www.twitter.com/50Fund

Well, Google for one. Do any kind of a search these days, and you’ll get an ad for the official 2024 bid website as your first hit. This can’t amount to too much money – I mean how many people are searching on this topic these days? Not too many.

And the PR flacks like Nate Ballard and loser PJ Johnston, they’re making money, maybe a few thousands per month.

And webmasters, the techies who register URLs like NoSFOlympics.Org so citizens can’t organize the way they do in Boston. Those web kind of people are getting a few bucks.

“Without board approval, commissioned and installed a life-size mural depicting himself and now hung inside the Koret Foundation’s new headquarters in San Francisco at a cost to the Foundation of $80,000.”

I’ll tell you, this one allegation should prolly make you never even consider starting up any kind of foundation.

And what’s the response – a general denial about how all the charges are “bogus” and an ad hominem attack against the widow of Koret?

Spokesmodel Nate Ballard could try to explain the painting / mural – like he could say how it didn’t cost $80k or how it was authorized, but he chooses not to.

OK fine.

Hey is it “erratic” to want to invite non-poor non-Jewish Willie Brown in to the Koret Foundation? Probably. But there’s a lot of erraticism going on on these charitable boards – that’s no reason for a dismissal.

All right, have at it Koret Foundation. Let’s hope the fund will be in better shape and be used for better purposes after all this gets hashed out.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The widow of Koret Foundation founder Joseph Koret has filed suit against Koret Foundation Board President Tad Taube, accusing him and the Foundation’s Board of Directors of conflicts of interest in funding pet projects that include conservative causes in the United States and charities in his native country of Poland.

The suit filed October 7, 2014 in San Francisco Superior Court by Mrs. Koret alleges that under Taube’s direction the board has ignored the priorities established by her late husband to help the poor and assist Jewish causes in the Bay Area and Israel.

Instead, her suit claims, the Koret board is using foundation funds to promote programs closely affiliated with individual board members and is purposely confusing the public by putting signage that prominently features Taube’s name alongside the Koret Foundation name on buildings and grants for which the Koret Foundation is the principal funder.

“Defendants’ duty of loyalty to the Foundation has been corrupted by these directors’ close affiliations with many of the Foundation’s recent grants, resulting in tens of millions of dollars distributed due to self-interest,” according to the lawsuit.

We are seven of the eight Directors of the Koret Foundation Board of Directors, and have served alongside the eighth, Ms. Susan Koret, for decades. Today, we write withone voice to express our regret regarding the actions Ms. Koret has taken in filing litigation against her fellow members of the Koret Foundation Board of Directors as well asthe Foundation.

We are each honored to be a part of advancing the local, national and global work of the Koret Foundation. We are also proud of the fact that the Foundation has provided $500 million in grants to non-profit organizations, and the majority of our funding has been dedicated to supporting the vulnerable and disadvantaged, children, families and the elderly. Our purpose is and will remain to support Jewish organizations worldwide, and to improve the quality of life for all the residents of the Bay Area community.

Ms. Koret has voted in full support of 95% of the grant decisions the Foundation has made. We are dismayed that she is now suing in disagreement with these very same decisions. She now makes vicious and unfounded personal attacks on her colleagues.

We believe Ms. Koret is taking these actions in an aggressive attempt to take over the assets of the Foundation. Alarmingly, her behavior has also become increasingly confused and erratic, and it is clear that Ms. Koret is unable to fulfill her duties as a Director.

We, the undersigned, unanimously decided to file a cross-complaint in order to respond swiftly and accurately to Ms. Koret’s false allegations. It is our hope that this matter will be resolved quickly. In the meantime, we assure you that the important humanitarian work of the Koret Foundation will continue, despite the attempted disruption by Ms. Koret.

“SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT PTA LEADERSHIP AGAIN URGES STATE PTA TO MAKE A DUAL ENDORSEMENT ON PROPS 30 AND 38

San Francisco — The Second District (San Francisco) PTA leadership recommended in July a dual endorsement of state ballot measures, Propositions 30 and 38, to the California State PTA after hearing from PTA members across the City that funding education was a high priority. At that time, the State PTA held its “Yes” on Prop 38 and voted to approve a “Neutral” position on Prop 30.

In light of recent public polling and campaign dynamics with both initiatives, and again with the encouragement of its members, the District PTA leadership is re-recommending the State PTA take a “Yes” position on Prop 30 to add to its current “Yes” on Prop 38 at the State PTA Board of Managers Meeting October 27.

It is critical that education be funded at a higher level, or at the minimum, maintain current funding in order for all of California’s children to be prepared to be successful in college, career and life. Either Prop 30 or Prop 38 must pass for this to happen. The District PTA also strongly encourages both campaigns to refrain from negative messaging about the other to increase the possibility that at least one measure will receive the required 50% + 1 votes.

Prop 30 would prevent further cuts to K-12 public schools and higher education funding through an increase of around $6 billion per year for 7 years to the state’s general fund budget. Prop 38 would increase funding to K-12 schools, early education and school bond debt payments by $10-11 billion per year for 12 years. Prop 38’s increase in funding would greatly mitigate the result of state education budget cuts of over $20 billion statewide and the laying off of over 40,000 educators over the last three years alone.

“PAULSON, FALK TO CO-CHAIR YES ON PROPOSITION C PENSION REFORM CAMPAIGN – Top Labor Leader, Top Business Leader Tapped To Lead Consensus Coalition

SAN FRANCISCO, August 31, 2011 – San Franciscans United For Pension And Health Reform today selected Tim Paulson and Steve Falk to serve as co-chairs of the campaign supporting Proposition C and opposing Proposition D on the November ballot.

Paulson is executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council, comprised of 150 local unions and representing 100,000 workers, and Falk is president and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, a 1,500-member organization representing the business community.

“We are pleased that San Francisco’s top labor leader and top business leader are working together to lead this coalition’s campaign for pension and health reform,” said Thomas P. O’Connor, president of Fire Fighters Local 798. “Unions and the business community don’t agree on everything, but on Proposition C, San Francisco is united.”

Falk praised Proposition C, which was developed with input from the community, introduced by Mayor Ed Lee, and passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors.

“Proposition C saves taxpayers at least $1.3 billion over the next decade,” said Falk. “This measure is fiscally responsible and it will help keep us solvent.”

Paulson emphasized the measure’s fairness.

“Proposition C provides a safety net for hardworking city employees who earn lower wages,” said Paulson. “It keeps pension contributions stable for those making less than $50,000 a year. Those who make more pay more.”

“Proposition C has widespread support because it was conceived in the light of day, with a public process that encouraged input and ideas from everyone,” said O’Connor. “On the other hand, the backers of Proposition D bought their way onto the ballot with signature gatherers who were paid five dollars a signature and repeatedly got caught on tape lying about what the measure would do.”

Today, San Franciscans United For Pension And Health Reform also announced the other members of its campaign committee. In addition to Paulson, Falk, and O’Connor, the committee includes other business and labor leaders, along with the measure’s sponsor at the Board of Supervisors:

Warren Hellman, Civic Leader Gary Delagnes, President of the San Francisco Police Officers Association Sean Elsbernd, Member of the Board of Supervisors Steve Fields, Co-Chair of the Human Services Network Larry Mazzola, Business Manager and Financial Secretary Treasurer of UA Local 38 Rebecca Rhine, Executive Director of the Municipal Executives Association Bob Muscat, Executive Director of IFTPE Local 21 Sean Connolly, President of the Municipal Attorneys Association

“’Like it or not, unions are still the most potent political force in California,’” said Nathan Ballard, a Democratic strategist and former Gavin Newsom aide who once worked for the California Labor Federation. Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate for governor, ‘persistently demonized the unions,’ Mr. Ballard said. ‘It was a miscalculation on her part. She greatly underestimated their influence.’”

So it would seem. A few months back, I certainly thought that Prop B would do a lot better than it did.

Click to expand

Proposition B‘s lopsided defeat will make people think twice before creating other initiatives that affect organized labor in the 415, it would seem.

How do you get a strong-willed (and is there any other kind?) billionaire to change his or her mind?

No matter, San Francisco’s #1 banjo playerwants out of the pro-Proposition B campaign. Get all the deets, plus reaction from San Francisco Labor Council President Tim Paulson, below.

(This is seismic, baby.)

(This is unprecedented, baby.)

Click to expand. His head’s not really blue – it’s just the way the lighting was.

(Hello, MSM, are you there? It’s me, Margaret. Can we get a little follow-up, please? Show us what you can do with this one. Starting…now!)

Statement from F. Warren Hellman:

“I’m leaving the Yes on Proposition B campaign for the same reason I got involved in the campaign in the first place – we need a meaningful dialogue in San Francisco between business and labor to solve long-term problems threatening the city’s future without name-calling and fingerpointing.

“We must address the issue of spiraling public pension and health benefits costs. They’re like an iceberg floating beneath the surface that threatens to sink cities like ours. At the same time, I’m not willing scapegoat police officers, firefighters and other public workers to do it.

“We got into this situation together and we must work together to solve it in the interest of a city we all love.

“I was reminded of this spirit at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival this past weekend. We pulled off a massive free concert in Golden Gate Park without one major injury, disruption or arrest, which is a testament to the professionalism of San Francisco’s public workers and our City’s spirit of cooperation.

“I believe that organized labor appreciates that it is in San Francisco’s interest – and the interest of its members — to head off a looming pension and benefits crisis before it cripples public services and leaves police officers, firefighters and other public workers without retirement security.

“And I also believe that San Francisco business must understand its responsibility to pay its fair share to fund quality public services. And that begins with workers who are properly trained, fairly paid and able to retire with dignity.

“We have a history of working together in this city and settling issues without expensive and divisive political fights at the ballot box. I’m going to focus my attention and resources on restarting those discussions.”

Statement from Tim Paulson, San Francisco Labor Council

“On behalf of the Labor community, we are very pleased that Warren Hellman has withdrawn his support from the Yes on B campaign. Many of us in organized labor have worked closely with Mr. Hellman in recent years to rebuild San Francisco’s schools and fund public education and we were disappointed to be at odds on this measure.

“We share Mr. Hellman’s legitimate concerns about rising pension and health care costs and commit to work with him and other likeminded leaders in the business community to address them. We want to find sustainable and affordable ways to attract and retain the best public employees, compensate them fairly and allow them to retire with dignity. In short, we acknowledge and respect Mr. Hellman’s goals, even if Prop B is not the vehicle to achieve them.”